Girl’s Dental Hygienist Notices Yellowish Eyes to Save Her Life

Imagine taking your little girl to the dentist on Wednesday morning for a routine cleaning and having it lead directly to a 9-hour major medical surgery the following Friday. The surgery saved 11-year-old Journee’s life and it was due to the diligence of dental hygienist Rachel Stroble, who was concerned because the whites of the her eyes seemed yellow.

“We took her to the doctor for blood tests and an ultrasound, which then lead to both a CAT Scan and MRI,” said the Oklahoma girl’s mother, Anna Woodard. “The doctors found a grapefruit-sized tumor on her liver and pancreas.”

ABC News reports the tumor wasn’t cancerous, but doctors said it would have ruptured had they not caught it. “Had this happened while Journee was sleeping, she could have gone septic and never woken up, Woodard said. And it could have happened while Journee, who plays basketball, was on the court.”